Azamara Cabins Thread

[excitedofharpenden]

14 hours ago, tring said:

Thanks for those last two replies.  Well I got an email inviting us to bid for a balcony cabin earlier this afternoon and have gone for it, bidding just £10pp over the minimum.  Today is 93 days out by my calculations, but our cruise (on Pursuit) seems to have loads of availability, but not on OV cabins, which we have booked.  Errrrr we are first timers with Az and do not want to put this on the upgrade bid thread at present as I would likely be growled at by a good number of Az regulars.  Will feed back regards the result, which is what you ask for .......... as long as the growling is not too ferocious at the time 🙂

 

We do not normally book guarantee cabins and do feel we have been very carefree about this

There is no reason anyone, Azamara regular or otherwise should growl at you. If they do then just growl back at them  😉. Good luck with the cabin. Good way to look at it. You are potentially upgrading to a balcony guarantee. 

 

Phil 

[tring]

19 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

There is no reason anyone, Azamara regular or otherwise should growl at you. If they do then just growl back at them  😉. Good luck with the cabin. Good way to look at it. You are potentially upgrading to a balcony guarantee. 

 

Phil 

 

My apologies, I think growl was the wrong word.  It was more a case that I would have felt a bit awkward about it and did just mean it jokingly as is your reply.

 

I do realise that details are only requested for the upgrade thread when the bid had been accepted or rejected, but some people had also discussed not being able to make bids, yet my email turned up earlier, though I suspect that is more likely to be because of the specific cruise since ours seems to have a fair bit of availability and is being sold cheaper then other 7 night med cruises this autumn.  We very rarely have balcony cabins on any cruise line as we prefer to spend our cash on more cruises or holidays, so it would be something a bit special to us if we are successful.  I will monitor available cabins though and may increase the bid or remove it accordingly.  It is a bit exciting really, though I am not normally a gambler, which this is IMO.

 

I meant no disrespect to Az posters as I have had great advice and access to the well organised cabin and upgrade spreadsheets.  All offered to me with very good manners as well, which gives me a good feel for the cruise line even before we see the ship.

 

Thanks to all.

[marinaro44]

3 minutes ago, tring said:

My apologies, I think growl was the wrong word.  It was more a case that I would have felt a bit awkward about it and did just mean it jokingly as is your reply.

That's how I read it.

 

Seems to me any "growling" on this thread was directed at Azamara, not upgrade awardees.  Frankly, I'd like to see those who booked early and paid Azamara prices be given a chance for upgrades to better cabins rather than have these cabins given at deeply-discounted prices to last-minute consolidators.

[excitedofharpenden]

13 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

That's how I read it.

 

Seems to me any "growling" on this thread was directed at Azamara, not upgrade awardees.  Frankly, I'd like to see those who booked early and paid Azamara prices be given a chance for upgrades to better cabins rather than have these cabins given at deeply-discounted prices to last-minute consolidators.

Totally agree. 

 

Phil 

[Ritza]

2 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Totally agree. 

 

Phil 

I agree  We paid for the upgrade then once on the ship found out lots of people received free upgrades to suites from insides etc.  crazy and because of consolidators.  I think if you book early you should get the upgrade for free.  No charge.  All ships are doing this upgrade bid just for the extra money.  Not thinking of their loyal guests at all.  Greed. 

[tring]

26 minutes ago, marinaro44 said:

Frankly, I'd like to see those who booked early and paid Azamara prices be given a chance for upgrades to better cabins rather than have these cabins given at deeply-discounted prices to last-minute consolidators.

 

I do agree about that and with other cruise companies as well.  We have a forthcoming cruise with P&O (a Carnival Corp line) and asked for a price to upgrade to a balcony.  I was told £700 pp for the 16 nights!  That was really taking the proverbial since we paid more for our outside cabin than is currently asked for select (i.e. NOT guarantee) price for balcony cabins, and we have done a fair fewer P&O cruises, though not so much recently as we do not sail on the bigger ships.  We always ask to be removed from the "automatic upgrade" possibility when we book as that is not something which can be refused, as with Az, and is usually just a notch up the same category from what is reported, rather than an outside to a balcony for instance. 

 

We have been well treated on Fred Olsen (a UK independent company), both for upgrade prices and on board when we have been recognised as regulars.  They still allow smoking on balconies though and initial prices are increasing too much compared to the cruise experience in their older ships.  Better than a modern block of flats though and much better ports, so we realise we just have to play the system and book at the correct time, but is difficult to book late if we want to use a cruise as part of a long haul holiday. 

Edited July 19, 2019 by tring

[Ritza]

 

 

 

1 hour ago, tring said:

 

I do agree about that and with other cruise companies as well.  We have a forthcoming cruise with P&O (a Carnival Corp line) and asked for a price to upgrade to a balcony.  I was told £700 pp for the 16 nights!  That was really taking the proverbial since we paid more for our outside cabin than is currently asked for select (i.e. NOT guarantee) price for balcony cabins, and we have done a fair fewer P&O cruises, though not so much recently as we do not sail on the bigger ships.  We always ask to be removed from the "automatic upgrade" possibility when we book as that is not something which can be refused, as with Az, and is usually just a notch up the same category from what is reported, rather than an outside to a balcony for instance. 

 

We have been well treated on Fred Olsen (a UK independent company), both for upgrade prices and on board when we have been recognised as regulars.  They still allow smoking on balconies though and initial prices are increasing too much compared to the cruise experience in their older ships.  Better than a modern block of flats though and much better ports, so we realise we just have to play the system and book at the correct time, but is difficult to book late if we want to use a cruise as part of a long haul holiday. 

Well we will not be going on P&O smoking on the Balcony sorry but not for me.   Smoking period is a real problem for us and alot of others.  Even Norwegian has a much too liberal smoking policy.  Also why do they always put the smoking area near the pool bar so everyone can't enjoy this bar.   Well have a great holiday.  We are doing Canada and New England in September.  Would love to go on Azamara again,  we have been 5 times but they are just so expensive and nothing to do if long cruise,  boring.  they are not what they use to be in my books.   cheers 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by Host Grandma Cruising
Duplicate quotes

[tring]

21 minutes ago, Ritza said:

 

 

 

Well we will not be going on P&O smoking on the Balcony sorry but not for me.   Smoking period is a real problem for us and alot of others.  

 

 

No, if you look back at my post, I mentioned two other cruise lines.  P&O are a Carnival Corporation line and do not allow smoking on balconies, but bad with customer service.  I would not recommend P&O though as their ships are getting a lot bigger.  Lower prices, but company going down a lot, especially if you go for their bigger ships or cheaper cruise areas.

 

It is Fred who allows smoking on most balconies, though we do like his terrace balconies, which are non smoking.  We only cruise for the destinations and he has some good ones, most of which sail from the UK, including some regional departures, which is good for us.  We do not usually book balconies and there is only a very small public smoking area on his ships.  There are very few balconies so the prices are very high - I think allowing smokers gives him a sales advantage, but to be fair very few people smoke anyway and they will always move anyone who is having problems if possible.  So not a big prob really.  Older ships than Az though, so will not have a following with people who can afford Az prices - I did not mean to recommend.

Edited July 19, 2019 by tring

[Jem 12]

16 hours ago, tring said:

Thanks for those last two replies.  Well I got an email inviting us to bid for a balcony cabin earlier this afternoon and have gone for it, bidding just £10pp over the minimum.  Today is 93 days out by my calculations, but our cruise (on Pursuit) seems to have loads of availability, but not on OV cabins, which we have booked.  Errrrr we are first timers with Az and do not want to put this on the upgrade bid thread at present as I would likely be growled at by a good number of Az regulars.  Will feed back regards the result, which is what you ask for .......... as long as the growling is not too ferocious at the time 🙂

 

We do not normally book guarantee cabins and do feel we have been very carefree about this (or perhaps stupid is a better word), but it is only a week, so we can sleep when we get home, or in our hotel in Rome.  Would not be risking it for a long haul holiday, which is the sort of thing we are considering on Az, combined with land holiday.  TBH what would bother me most regards a cabin is finding ourselves in a cabin with an adjoining door, as that could mean problems throughout the day and night and I do see the Az ships do have some adjoining doors.  We have had that sort of problem in hotels with snoring or just loud voices. Yes perhaps we are a bit mad..........

 

We got the upgrade bid email and did it on line direct, yet we had booked through an agent.  The agent did say when I made the final payment that the it was going straight through to Celebrity, rather than to themselves (one of the large Cruise clubs based in Liverpool) in that instance. 

Congratulations on managing to get the offer of an upgrade, it is interesting that you have booked through aTa, we booked directly with Azamara and have never received the offer to bid, we are just slightly over a month out now. 

 

I hope you are lucky with your bid, enjoy.

[JIMinNC]

3 hours ago, Ritza said:

I agree  We paid for the upgrade then once on the ship found out lots of people received free upgrades to suites from insides etc.  crazy and because of consolidators.  I think if you book early you should get the upgrade for free.  No charge.  All ships are doing this upgrade bid just for the extra money.  Not thinking of their loyal guests at all.  Greed. 

 

I disagree that "Greed" is the issue. Azamara's parent company RCL is a publicly-traded corporation whose stockholders want the company to maximize profits so the stock will go up. I don't own RCL stock, but I know that's how I want every company I do own stock in to behave. RCL only trades at about a 12 P/E ratio, so the market isn't valuing it as a "greedy" company, it is trading at a below-average P/E.

 

Companies have to strike a balance between rewarding loyal customers and foregoing revenue opportunities to do so. I think RCL/Azamara know they need to keep their best customers happy, but they are also constantly challenged to be sure that revenue keeps growing at a rate that keeps their stock rising and their shareholders happy. It's not greed, it's a delicate balancing act.

Edited July 19, 2019 by JIMinNC

[Cool Fool]

On 3/22/2013 at 5:49 AM, uktog said:

Cabin Number 6053

Ship Journey

Month/Year sailed July 2019

Would you choose this room again Y/N. Y

Is noise an issue Y/N N

Balcony size Normal/Larger/Smaller Normal

good location, near aft elevators, very quiet

 

[KazLoudspeaker]

Cabin Number  -  7046

Ship   -  Azamara Journey

Month/Year sailed  -   June & July 2019

Would you choose this room again - yes

Is noise an issue - No 

Balcony size Normal/Larger/Smaller - Normal

Any other comments: Great location - 2 up or 2 down to activity floors. Encouraged us to use the stairs!

[lisiamc]

Cabin Number  -  4040

Ship   -  Azamara Quest

Month/Year sailed  -   July 2019

Would you choose this room again - yes

Is noise an issue - Maybe for some

Any other comments: Now that the casino has been turned into The Den, the grand piano is located pretty much DIRECTLY above this cabin.  They have a great piano player, and frequent sing-alongs.  They stop at midnight, and we don’t go to bed early, so it’s not a problem for us.   If you like to go to bed early, you should be aware of a possible noise issue - you will definitely hear the music!

[Chilcotin]

11 hours ago, lisiamc said:

Cabin Number  -  4040

Ship   -  Azamara Quest

Month/Year sailed  -   July 2019

Would you choose this room again - yes

Is noise an issue - Maybe for some

Any other comments: Now that the casino has been turned into The Den, the grand piano is located pretty much DIRECTLY above this cabin.  They have a great piano player, and frequent sing-alongs.  They stop at midnight, and we don’t go to bed early, so it’s not a problem for us.   If you like to go to bed early, you should be aware of a possible noise issue - you will definitely hear the music!

Looking at cabin 4028 which is across the hall and down three doors. Do you think they would hear the piano music? First time on Azamara.

[lisiamc]

7 hours ago, Chilcotin said:

Looking at cabin 4028 which is across the hall and down three doors. Do you think they would hear the piano music? First time on Azamara.

 

I think you would hear it in the corridor, but probably not nearly as much in the cabin.  Others have said that they couldn’t hear the music in their cabins further along from us.  We may just be a special case since the piano is directly overhead. 

[Salf777]

Cabin Number - CW 7114

Ship - Pursuit

Month/Year - April 2019

Room Again - Absolutely

Noise - None

 

Great cabin with big corner balcony. Big living room and 2 bathrooms

Cabins above and below so no noise at all. Someone mentioned the engines may make noise we didnt experience anything like that. Its on the back so a little walk to elevators but the ship is small so the exercise was welcome and easy

[Chilcotin]

15 hours ago, lisiamc said:

 

I think you would hear it in the corridor, but probably not nearly as much in the cabin.  Others have said that they couldn’t hear the music in their cabins further along from us.  We may just be a special case since the piano is directly overhead. 

Thank you for your reply. I am a night owl so it probably won’t be much of an issue even if we can hear it.

Edited August 2, 2019 by Chilcotin

[NightWoman]

Cabin: Obs.View 6049 

Ship: Pursuit

Month/Year: July 2019

Choose Again: Yes

Noise: Very quiet

 

The cabin was in a very quiet location and was classed as partially obstructed due to the location which was next to a balcony cabin and the end of a life raft but you actually had a clear view of the sea. Normal cabins would have the length North/South where this cabin shape was more East/West it is one of the smallest cabins we've but once you had mastered the cabin dance then it was fine.The bathroom, as expected, was compact and nicely fitted out and there was sufficient storage and wardrobe space.

 

[hubofhockey]

On 7/18/2019 at 3:06 PM, tring said:

Thanks for those last two replies.  Well I got an email inviting us to bid for a balcony cabin earlier this afternoon and have gone for it, bidding just £10pp over the minimum.  Today is 93 days out by my calculations, but our cruise (on Pursuit) seems to have loads of availability, but not on OV cabins, which we have booked.  Errrrr we are first timers with Az and do not want to put this on the upgrade bid thread at present as I would likely be growled at by a good number of Az regulars.  Will feed back regards the result, which is what you ask for .......... as long as the growling is not too ferocious at the time 🙂

 

 

Seriously, many of the growlers already get free nights on their cruise, free WIFI, discounts on future cruises, large discounts in the spa, etc.  and still complain about loyalty.  If they can afford to cruise on Azamara so much, my guess is you would really appreciate the upgrade more than they would.  They don't care about you and your first cruise.  I hope you get your upgrade.  Good luck and please share it for the benefit of the rest of us.

Edited August 6, 2019 by hubofhockey

[SeaDayLvr]

Cabin Number:   4038 Inside

Ship:   Quest 

Month/Year sailed:  8/2019

 

Would you choose this room again:  YES

 

Is noise an issue:   Quiet location but you do hear a fan sometimes from the computer room next door.  Below paino (Den) but never heard it.  

 

**Plus of this room.  WiFi is super fast!  Ships computers and servers are right next door.  

[excitedofharpenden]

On 8/6/2019 at 4:47 PM, hubofhockey said:

 

Seriously, many of the growlers already get free nights on their cruise, free WIFI, discounts on future cruises, large discounts in the spa, etc.  and still complain about loyalty.  If they can afford to cruise on Azamara so much, my guess is you would really appreciate the upgrade more than they would.  They don't care about you and your first cruise.  I hope you get your upgrade.  Good luck and please share it for the benefit of the rest of us.

Hmmm. Interesting perspective.  I’m certainly no “growler”, but am afraid I don’t do well with posters who speak from a position of experience without actually having very much.  There are many shortcomings of the loyalty program of which I’ve had first hand knowledge over a period of time and will voice my opinion on this forum when I see fit.  As regards others getting upgrades, be it their first or 21st cruise on Azamara, I am very happy for them all.

 

Phil

[uktog]

20 minutes ago, excitedofharpenden said:

Hmmm. Interesting perspective.  I’m certainly no “growler”, but am afraid I don’t do well with posters who speak from a position of experience without actually having very much.  There are many shortcomings of the loyalty program of which I’ve had first hand knowledge over a period of time and will voice my opinion on this forum when I see fit.  As regards others getting upgrades, be it their first or 21st cruise on Azamara, I am very happy for them all.

 

Phil

I have said many times, I also have no issue with anyone having an upgrade, what I do have issue with is a scheme that is promoted as a loyalty scheme but where there is no tangible evidence of loyalty playing a part in the process.  On my upcoming two cruises I will not be having an upgrade and I am content with that.  But I will scream if I go onboard and the cabin marketing still relates to a system that was abandoned six months ago.

Knowing many of the most loyal cruisers personally I do not think any of them are growlers.

[Ladys Mom]

Suite 8044

Azamara journey

Sailed 8/17/2019

Was the cabin quiet -- generally yes, see below

Would you sail in this cabin again -- yes

 

We just returned from our cruise.  We loved our suite and our butler, Ronald, was the best.  However, the night of the White Night the scraping of the tables and chairs being placed and removed on the pool deck above our cabin was quite noisy.  Other than that, our cabin was always quiet with minimal vibration even when the ship was in choppy water.

[hubofhockey]

On 8/28/2019 at 5:57 AM, uktog said:

I have said many times, I also have no issue with anyone having an upgrade, what I do have issue with is a scheme that is promoted as a loyalty scheme but where there is no tangible evidence of loyalty playing a part in the process.  On my upcoming two cruises I will not be having an upgrade and I am content with that.  But I will scream if I go onboard and the cabin marketing still relates to a system that was abandoned six months ago.

Knowing many of the most loyal cruisers personally I do not think any of them are growlers.

 

I only posted that because the person was concerned about posting her results because of the growling of long time Azamara cruisers. Even though some of the more long time passengers growl, once they get on board, they forget it.  At this point, hopefully, Azamara only refers to it as the Azamara Upgrade system.  

[Whitby100]

Thanks for the work on the spreadsheet - I found a version on page 23 but when I looked at it, it was in portrait mode with the information columns separate and not attached to the room numbers.  Any suggestions?